It has been more than eight years since former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy died in a tragic helicopter crash in Kurnool district.

And people of the state have not forgotten his golden era even now and have been able to enjoy the fruits of the welfare schemes he had introduced during his regime.

While his son, YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is claiming the legacy of his father and promising that he would bring back the golden era of YSR if he is voted to power, the Congress, too, has been owning up the former chief minister who had been the most trusted soldier of the party and a staunch loyalist of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

The party might have been wiped out in AP because of the bifurcation of the state, but it cannot forget the contribution of YSR who was instrumental in bringing the party to power in AP twice in 2004 and 2009.

That is precisely why the Congress party has sought to invoke YSR mantra in the ongoing electioneering in Gujarat.

In a desperate bid to wrest power from the BJP, the Congress party’s star campaigner Rahul Gandhi has been promising the same welfare schemes, which were implemented by YSR during his regime in AP.

Some of the promises of Rahul Gandhi include: Free power to farmers, waiver of all crop loan and power bill arrears, fee reimbursement to students up to 80 per cent in all medical and engineering colleges, free education to students studying in government and aided institutions and subsidised health care (like Arogya Sri).

YSR had implemented all these promises 10 years ago and won the hearts of the people. And his spirit is still alive in the country even after a decade!